50 Themes of Seiner
by FinalFallenFantasy
Summary: 50 days, 50 themes, 50 drabbles of varying lengths. Some ideas will be picked up and basically continued as a story, probably worded differently. See if you can guess which ones those are. Enjoy...
1. Comfort

**AN:** Ok, so this is a series of drabbles for a 50 themes challenge in apology for the (once again) late update. :( Anyway, this will be updated daily, I hope. If not I'll upload as many on one day as I missed. So... here we go: fifty days, fifty themes. Enjoy.

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1: Comfort

Hayner had always found some measure of comfort when he was near the older, stronger blonde. Even when they were duking it out with Struggle bats. He always seemed to know exactly what Hayner needed; when the brown-eyed boy was pissed off or irritated, Seifer was there to take out his frustration; when he was happy or amused, there would always be that slight twinkle in the older teen's eyes that let him know that he shared his joy. When he stumbled into the Sandlot, furiously rubbing at his eyes after Roxas had informed him that he had met someone else, Seifer was there to offer silent comfort and to hold him as involuntary tears fell. And when Hayner finally realised his feelings for Seifer were a little more than he'd thought, he was there to slam him into a wall and ravish him until he lost all sense of thought.


	2. Kiss

**AN: **Number 2! HUZZAH! Generic much? XD

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2. Kiss

As Hayner struggled to even stay standing under the furious onslaught of Seifer's aggressive Struggle tactics, an idea to stop the older dead popped into his mind, and with an evil grin, he ran forwards, avoiding Seifer's block to press their lips together. However, instead of freezing up, the taller male immediately wrapped his arms around the younger's waist and fiercely reciprocated. Well, that was unexpected. As a result, neither boy made it to the final match, being too busy in Seifer's bedroom for the Struggle tournament to hold any interest for them.


	3. Soft

**AN: **Here's number 3 - sorry it's a day late .

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3. Soft

The problem with Hayner was that he was oblivious. There were specifics, such as Roxas' obvious relationship with Axel, but he was just generally blind to the things going on around him. Which was why he never realised that Seifer had had a soft spot for him all along.

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**AN: **See you in twenty seven seconds!


	4. Pain

**AN: **Part four!

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4. Pain

When Hayner had first seen Roxas kissing that redheaded bastard with ADD, he'd felt an instant stabbing pain in his chest and realised that he'd liked his friend for quite a while. But when he saw Seifer in a cinch with Zell, Hayner's older brother, the pain was so much worse, and he realised he'd been in love with him the entire time. But what hurt the most was that he only realised it once it was too late.

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**AN: **:( bit depressing this time DD:


	5. Potatoes

5. Potatoes

Seifer had never quite grasped the reasoning behind Hayner's 'No, Rubber Potato' shirt, but had been endlessly amused when Hayner actually tried to eat the fake jacket potato he'd given him. Needless to say, Hayner was not quite so pleased and bounced the thing off the floor, where it had proceeded to fly towards Seifer's face. Then it was Hayner's turn to laugh.


	6. Rain

6. Rain

On the first day, there were insults and punches thrown and Hayner ended up nursing a sprained wrist and a wounded ego.

On the second day, he kicked that bastard where it hurt and ran, knowing that Seifer wasn't one to go easy on someone just because they had lost the use of their right arm temporarily.

On the third day, Hayner found Roxas kissing Axel and he laughed; he'd known all along.

On the fourth day, Roxas informed him that Seifer was gay.

On the fifth day, Olette sat him down and patiently explained how obvious it was to everyone but himself that he liked the blonde bully.

On the sixth day, he saw Seifer enter the Sandlot out of the corner of his eye, only to turn and disappear again in a swirl of white coat.

On the seventh day, he grew a pair and told Seifer how he felt, only to have the older boy smile softly and kiss him in the rain. And it was beautiful.

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**AN: **Sorry it's late guys! D: see you in a few minutes


	7. Chocolate

7. Chocolate

Seifer had always hated chocolate; it was either too bitter or too sweet; sticky, messy and was, in his opinion, utterly overrated. But when he realised that his arch nemesis' eyes were chocolate coloured, he suddenly decided that it probably wasn't so bad. And when he found a little box of them in his locker with a note from said brown-eyed boy, he felt like he'd never liked the stuff so much.


	8. Happiness

8. Happiness

'Everyone', whoever 'everyone' was, had apparently decided that Seifer and Hayner couldn't possibly be happy together after so many years of fighting, and the small fact that they were both male, and as a result, both of their sets of parents were certain that the other was hurting their precious son and tried to keep them apart. 'Tried' being the operative word. They simply moved out and rented a flat together. What no one realised, though, was that they had made their own happiness out of their old rivalry, and that their fighting had never been out of enmity. They'd known what they were getting into from the beginning.


	9. Telephone

9. Telephone

Really, their relationship had started with a 1930s Bakelite telephone, Seifer mused.

Roxas and Seifer had been trying to cook up a plan to get Hayner out of his current (abusive) relationship with Setzer, but every time they tried to get Hayner to leave, an 'accident' would occur that would make him stay. And he still didn't see how much the violet-eyed Struggle champion was hurting him.

But one day, Seifer snapped and slammed Hayner into a wall, ready to yell at him, but had ended up kissing him so fiercely that the brown-eyed boy's breath had been snatched away.

"I love you." Seifer didn't know how, but it had slipped out and the next thing he knew, Hayner was out of his bed and running.

When Hayner had stumbled home, limping tellingly and with a faint hickey hidden by his shirt, Setzer had been waiting for him.

"You little shit! You cheating, lying little whore!" The older man had slammed him into a wall, much as Seifer had, and proceeded to rip Hayner's clothing in an attempt to undress him as quickly as possible. "Am I not fucking enough for you, huh? Not enough, so you have to go and screw that fucking _kid_, Almasy?!" Hayner didn't question how he knew; he never did. Hayner had screamed for help, but no one came, so he had grabbed the first thing he could and hit the side of Setzer's head with it. Luckily it had been the old, black telephone that Setzer had insisted upon keeping for some reason, and as a result of its heaviness, it had knocked him out cold.

Seifer had heard a rapid, hard knocking at his door and slammed it open angrily, only to have Hayner fall into his arms, trembling and clutching desperately at him.

And so, in a way, if Hayner hadn't happened to hit Setzer with that old-fashioned phone, maybe none of this would have happened. He would have been raped and possibly killed by that bastard. Seifer shuddered at that thought and pulled his sleeping lover closer to him, nuzzling the soft skin at the nape of his neck and thanking his stars that that telephone had been close enough.

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**AN: **Yeah, those telephones are really quite heavy. :( Hayner, if you're going to cheat on your abusive partner, then at least make sure it's not so obvious. Honestly.


	10. Ears

**AN: **I'm sorry this one's so short. DDDD:

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10. Ears

When Hayner screamed as they made love, it would sometimes be loud enough to make Seifer's ears buzz. But he didn't mind; those sounds his lover made were too sexy to dislike.

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**AN: **Next one will be longer!


	11. Name

**AN: **I'm sorry it's so late D:

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11. Name

"A rose by any other name would smell as- why do I have to do this again?"

"Hayner, stop breaking character and just bloody _act_!" Roxas yelled. "You're in this play whether you like it or not; too late to back out now. So try again!"

"But why do I have to be Juliet? You're not the one who has to wear a dress!" Hayner protested, plucking at the, in his mind, utterly ridiculous silk skirts of his costume.

"Try again!"

"You know," a voice murmured as Hayner got changed into his normal clothes again. "A few weeks ago you would have made your first objection the fact that you have to kiss me…" A pair of strong arms slid around Hayner's waist and he turned, eyes wide, to stare at Seifer, who was smirking almost seductively.

"Y-yeah, well… I'm trying n-not to think of that…" the younger blonde stuttered, flushing slightly as he licked his lips nervously.

"Are you sure?" Seifer raised an eyebrow and leaned in until they were mere centimetres apart. Hayner half-closed his eyes in anticipation and suddenly the older boy stood straight again and murmured, "You just call me your 'enemy' or whatever, but I don't think you really mean it; 'by any other name' and all that." Hayner quickly recovered from his disorientation after Seifer had pulled away and smirked.

"You calling yourself a 'rose', then?" Seifer chuckled.

"Pfft, no. Just making the point. So, you gonna kiss me or what?"

"And here I thought that Romeo was the one who initiated…" Hayner grinned and surged forwards to press their lips together, wrapping his arms around Seifer's neck to bring him closer.

_~~~A few hours later~~~_

"Say my name… Nnn…"

"Aah, Seifer… Yes…"

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**AN: **The reasons these next few are late:

Tuesday: I had Italian

Wednesday: I forgot

Thursday: I was up until midnight baking cakes for Friday

Friday: Had the day off school to wait outside the stage door of Yeovil Theatre and give the Vampires Rock guys'n'gals flowers and cakes and things with Harrie and Will and Wheels and my mum. Vampires Rock was in the evening, and we hung around the stage door afterwards to finally pounce Ben who still hadn't signed Harrie's awesome 'Lost Boys' shirt (Lost Boys being the name of the actual band - Ben, Jordan, Henry, Arthur and Nickky). I also got a hug from one of the sexiest men on God's green earth; Henry Bird!! 8D8D8D8D8D

Saturday: Was at my aunt's house and my cousin was incredibly foolhardy because he had some friends round and he went and drunk vodka with them in his room until he passed out so we had to drive home. :'(

Today: UPLOADING.


	12. Sensual

**AN: **I'm sorry it's so late D:

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12. Sensual

Seifer didn't know what it was about Hayner, but whenever he saw him dancing, he just wanted to reach out and touch him. Not necessarily sexually, because when Hayner's eyes were closed and he was swaying so hypnotically in time to the music, he looked so untouchable, almost genderless in a way. There was something so much more about him than sex. He was so beautifully… Sensual.


	13. Death

**AN: **I'm sorry it's so late D:

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13. Death

Seifer knew it was stupid. Pointless. But he couldn't help it. He blamed himself, in a roundabout way, for Hayner's death. He should have been there for him. And he never was. But… how could he have known? It was only when they found the suicide note addressed to him that he found out.

_Seifer,_

_It's probably pointless to send this and I know it'll probably end up in the trash, but hey, I'll be dead, so what does that matter? I love you. Always have, always would have done, but I don't know if the afterlife exists. But rest assured that if it does, I'll still be loving you from there. Oh, and the reason you lose against Roxas in Struggle? You put too much of your body weight into your hits._

_Hayner._

When he'd read it, he'd locked himself in his room and just stared at the ceiling for three days straight. He didn't even eat. He just sat there. It was only when Olette had managed to clamber in through the window that he had broken down and cried while she held him, murmuring soft words through her own tears.

If only he'd told Hayner how he'd felt, then maybe none of this would have happened. Maybe Hayner would still be alive. But… now those beautiful brown eyes were closed, never to spark with such love, such excitement, such _life_. No longer would he see that sweet, shy smile or hear that too-loud, but so happy, laugh. And there was nothing he could do.


	14. Sex

**AN: **I'm sorry it's so late D:

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14. Sex

Seifer glanced across the Science lab to see Hayner's face buried in his arms on the desk, flaming red as the Sex Ed teacher droned on about reproduction. He smirked to himself as he raised a hand and asked, very clearly,

"So. We all know this stuff, so what happens between boys?" His smirk grew as Hayner shot up straight, bright pink with wide eyes and the teacher spluttered and babbled.

After class, Seifer sought out his adorable boyfriend and slung an arm over his shoulders.

"Well, that was a load of crap." He sniggered, "'I don't believe anyone here needs to know that'. Huh. Well we know better than him, anyway, don't we, Chickenwuss?" He let his arm slip down to grope Hayner's ass, making the younger boy squeak and turn cherry red, leaping forwards slightly.

"Seifer!" he hissed angrily, but said boy cut him off.

"So…" he abruptly pressed his brown-eyed lover into the wall, leaning in close. "Want to practise some of our 'knowledge' later?"


	15. Touch

15. Touch

Hayner had always tried to ignore the burning, shivery sensation that would ripple through him whenever Seifer touched him. But now, as said boy crawled up his body to press their lips together in heated passion, he couldn't help but think that it was the most wonderful feeling he'd ever experienced.


	16. Weakness

16. Weakness

Hayner had always hated himself for being weaker than Seifer; he always lost to him at Struggle, he could never think of a good enough comeback when the time came to it, he had lower grades, he was freakin' _in love _with the bastard… But what he didn't realise was that Seifer did have one weakness. Him.


	17. Tears

17. Tears

If there was one thing Seifer couldn't stand seeing, it was someone crying. It just made him feel all guilty and sad, for some reason, and he'd do anything to get them to stop. So one day, when he saw what he'd _never_, in a million years, thought he'd see (he knew that Hayner was too strong and stubborn to cry), he didn't know what to do and just silently put his arms around his 'enemy'. What he really hadn't expected was for Hayner, once his tears had dried, to turn and press their lips together hesitantly. But the next second, he was kissing back with all of the want in his body.

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**AN: **I am so sorry that this is late!! DDD: my computer once again had a major breakdown and took ages to get itself all fixed by a techiedude. And then I couldn't connect to the interbutts. So... I'm sorry for these being late and for spamming your inboxes liekwhoa.


	18. Speed

18. Speed

Seifer had tried speed once and only once. He'd woken up the day after feeling as though he both had been hit by, and wanted to jump under, a train. He would never put any of that stuff in his body again. But when he'd rolled over to see Chickenwuss curled up beside him, a small, contented smile on his face as he slept, he silently thanked whoever had brought the stuff to the party and let him finally catch his rival's eye.


	19. Wind

19. Wind

The funny thing about Twilight Town, as many tourists often remarked, was the peculiar quality of the street design, which caused the wind to whistle and moan through the place. On some days, in some places, it was louder than others, and sounded mildly embarrassing to the ear. What they didn't know, however, was that those were the days when the two most notorious blonde rivals in that town turned their spars into something else…


	20. Freedom

20. Freedom

Standing on that clifftop, over the sea, watching the sunset with the gentle wind ruffling his hair, Hayner thought he'd never felt freer. He looked to his right, gazing lovingly at his boyfriend, who was holding his hand, and smiled. Together, they'd escaped that hellhole and left all of the prejudice, all of the hatred, the name-calling, everything, behind. Together, they were free.


	21. Life

21. Life

Life was a bitch, Seifer decided. Having a worst enemy that you happen to be in irrevocable love with, confessing, getting rejected, sleeping with said boy at a house party and waking up alone. The feelings of emptiness rushing through him and eating away at the remnants of his heart were… So freaking lonely. And he knew that it could only get worse, as far as unrequited love was concerned. Then there was the sound of a door opening and closing.

"Oh, you're awake…" He spun and nearly fell flat on his face.

"Chickenwuss! You're… still here?" He hated how weak and desperate he sounded.

"Well, yeah. You think I'd just up and leave you before you woke up? Give me some credit, Seifer." Hayner slid closer to where Seifer was sitting on the bed and placed his hands on the covers on either side of him, leaning so close that Seifer could feel his breath on his lips. "You win. I think I like you too." He moved forwards and captured Seifer's lips in a slow, heated kiss. And as he pushed Seifer back onto the bed again, moving to straddle him, the scarred blonde thought that maybe life wasn't so bad after all…


	22. Jealousy

22. Jealousy

When Seifer found Hayner in a liplock with Roxas, he could hardly suppress his sudden surge of rage (to yell at Roxas to _get his hands off _Hayner) enough to simply walk by with a 'get a room, lamers' tossed over his shoulder. However, after two weeks of having to watch his rival's whirlwind relationship with the smaller, moodier blond, Seifer snapped. He slammed Roxas against a wall and started mocking and yelling at him, until it eventually degenerated into a fistfight. Afterwards, Roxas stood from where he'd been lying on the ground and said,

"Jealousy's a bitch, huh?" Before leaving Seifer and walking off. The taller male stared after him; what had he meant? He wasn't jeal- oh shit.


	23. Hands

23. Hands

Hayner loved Seifer's hands. Sometimes, when they were watching a movie or just lazing around, he'd trace the back of one of them, marvelling at the long, slender fingers and strength of those large, gentle hands. It still amazed him that, although he had been the cause of most of his injuries a few years previously, Seifer could be so uncharacteristically tender with him now, cradling him almost as if he were something precious that might be easily broken, even though he knew differently.


	24. Taste

24. Taste

Hayner knows he shouldn't, but when the threat of being accused of being 'chicken' appears, he enters the 'Tasting Test' game that everyone else wants to play. 'Everyone else' being Olette, Pence, Roxas, Rai, Fuu and Seifer. Of course, he's the first one selected to do it.

"The aim of the game is to recognise what something is when you taste it." Pence explains reassuringly, patting Hayner's shoulder. The blonde shudders to think of what Seifer's one might be. Oh well, he should just get it over with.

Fuu ties a blindfold around his head and he sits, waiting for the first 'item'. Luckily, it's Olette first, and he instantly recognises the taste of an Elixir. Rai quickly steps up with cold baked beans, which make Hayner gag.

Then Pence and Roxas go together because they decide that their 'item' is horrible enough for two people. They're right and Hayner can't for the life of him understand why they would take the risk of shoving his cat's foot in his mouth. Man, he never wants to taste cat again… Fuu is next and Hayner is relieved to find that she's taken silent pity on him and has offered him fruit juice to wash out the taste of icky fur.

But now it's Seifer's turn, and Hayner just _knows_ it will be something horrible. Because Seifer's just that kind of guy. He feels a hand on the back of his head and half expects to be sent flying forward into the table. But then he hears whispering and a quiet giggle before something warm is pressed to his lips. He opens his mouth to find out what it is and something warm, wet and definitely alive slips into his mouth, moving around his teeth and drawing his own tongue out. It takes him a moment, but his eyes fly open under the cloth as he realises he is being… _kissed._

He rips off the blindfold and sees that it is indeed his nemesis that he is playing tonsil hockey with. Then he closes his eyes to match the other blonde and slides his arms around his neck, pulling him quite forcefully down, so that the older boy loses his balance and ends up in Hayner's lap. But neither of them particularly mind; they're too busy tasting each other to worry about something silly about legs losing circulation or loss of dignity.


	25. Devotion

25. Devotion

When Hayner was found to have cancer of the oesophagus, the amount of caring devotion shown to him by his boyfriend touched the hearts of all their close friends. Even after it was discovered to be terminal, Seifer never once left his side.

And thirty years on, he was still waiting to join him beyond the Pearly Gates, having not loved another person since his beloved 'Chickadee' died.


	26. Forever

26. Forever

"Seifer?" Four year old Hayner asked.

"Yeah, Hayner?" the older boy turned his head to look at his younger companion.

"Will we always be like this?" the smaller blonde snuggled into his friend, closing his eyes contentedly. The six year old smiled and patted the younger boy's head, liking the feel of his soft, pale hair against his fingers.

"Sure. We'll be friends forever, you sappy girl." Hayner sat up and stuck his tongue out.

"Meanie."

"You know I don't mean it." Seifer ruffled his hair.

"Yeah…" Hayner snuggled back into him and fell asleep.


	27. Blood

27. Blood

"Bloody stupid idea for a party…" Hayner muttered to himself around the fake plastic fangs in his mouth. Why Roxas' boyfriend had decided to host a vampire party was beyond him; the fake blood was drying into a disgusting crust on his chin, the white facepaint was making him itch; the fangs wouldn't stop falling out and his cape kept slipping. So, all in all, Hayner was pissed.

He stomped over to the chairs to sit down huffily, glaring at all of the dancing couples in the room. He was uncomfortable, irritated and bored. And lonely, though he didn't like to admit it. Pence and Olette were 'together', as were Axel and Roxas. So really, he had no one to talk to anymore. Another vampire sat down beside him and Hayner glanced once before looking away.

"Hey Chickenwuss." He started, whipping his head round to face the vampire beside him. The boy beside him had blonde, slicked back hair and pale make up with a little black eyeliner to frame those familiar, beautiful aquamarine eyes that were the only real clue towards his identity.

"Oh, hey…" Hayner sighed and looked out towards the dancing again. He kind of wished he had someone to dance with, but dancing by himself got boring very quickly, unless it was a really good song. "You alone too?" he asked, turning back to Seifer. The older blonde nodded.

"Rai and Fuu are over there, but Rai managed to mistake 'vampire' for 'werewolf'." Hayner sniggered slightly at the sight of a huge brown-furred bear-type creature dancing with a petite vampire with red eyes.

"So I see. What about you? Lestat, right?" Seifer arched an eyebrow.

"You've actually read those?"

Hayner snorted. "Yeah; they're good stuff. So?"

"Nothing. Yeah, I'm Lestat, the Brat Prince. Whoop de doo. You?"

"Huh. No one in particular; I thought about Lestat but couldn't be bothered with the contacts."

"Fair enough." They sat in silence for a while, watching the party but not quite being a part of it. "…Wanna dance?" Seifer asked hesitantly. Hayner blinked and stared at him.

"What?"

"Well, why not?" Seifer said a little defensively. "Ah, forget it."

"No, ok. Why not? Might even surprise Axel and Roxas out of their permanent liplock." Hayner sniggered and Seifer snorted before standing.  
"C'mon, then."

An hour later, Roxas found his best friend with a prominent hickey and a little blood on his neck, ruffled hair, rumpled clothes, slightly swollen lips and a dazed expression. When he asked, Hayner simply replied almost dreamily,

"Seifer sure knows how to dance…"


	28. Sickness

28. Sickness

There was a plague racing through the town, the elderly religious fanatics decided. Why else would there be so many gay couples in the newest generations? Roxas and his Irish pyromaniac; Demyx and Zexion; Sora and his childhood friend Riku from Destiny Islands; Cloud Strife and Squall Leonheart, from Midgar and Traverse Town respectively; Larxene and her newest toy; even Luxord and Xigbar, the bookstore owner and the drama teacher, were now in a relationship. It was true that half of them were from other areas, but homosexuality must have been catching, as it seemed that more boys and girls were coming out each day.

And this was only further proved when the town's resident rivals/enemies, Seifer Almasy and Hayner Chase were found in a clinch behind the Struggle tournament changing rooms. Now, those two could never have gotten together without some strange illness befalling them. They had hated each other from birth.

The youngest members of the sudden gay community in Twilight Town all laughed at the superstitions of the old; they weren't ill, they were in love. And gender had nothing to do with it. Anyone could see that Axel had been head over heels for his little blonde since day one; Demyx had been composing love sonnets for Zexion since he was eleven, Riku had always protected Sora and just took the step from overprotective, overly affectionate best friend to lover. And Hayner had never had time to think of anything but his arch nemesis since they were children. It was only now that they both realised why. And it just felt… natural.


	29. Melody

29. Melody

When Seifer Almasy had been trying to find a way to attract the attention of his rival and crush, Hayner Dincht, he heard a beautiful song floating out of one of the music rooms at school, and was struck with inspiration. Under the guidance of everyone's mutual friend, Demyx Long, he wrote what was actually a fairly passable set of lyrics, and eventually came up with a tune to go with it. Now, how to get it to Hayner without making an utter fool of himself in the process…


	30. Star

30. Star

It had come as a surprise to everyone when Hayner revealed that his lifelong dream (other than finally beating Seifer) was to be an actor. It came as even more of a shock when he made it onto the silver screen.

But, despite all of the glamour and flashing lights and the wonderful feeling of achievement every time filming finished on a certain project, Hayner couldn't help but feel like something was missing that hadn't been before. So one day, he decided to go back to his old home, Twilight Town, to do a little soul-searching.

Pence and Olette were stunned when he appeared on their doorstep, apologising profusely for taking so long to contact them; he really had lost their phone numbers and address (he'd just knocked on doors and asked around for an entire two days to find them). They greeted him with hugs and smiles, and introduced him to their two sons and daughter, Leon, Vincent and Yuffie, who were rather impressed that their parents were such close friends with a famous 'movie thtar'. And it was like nothing had changed.

He stayed with them for a few days, and while the kids were at school, they spent the days reliving all of the old times, going to the beach together and smashing watermelons, hanging out in the Usual Spot (which was, surprisingly, still intact) and eating sea salt ice cream on the clock tower. But there was still something missing.

So, when Pence and Olette were picking up the children from school and Hayner was sent out to buy milk, bread and cookies, he dropped the groceries off at their house and went to see if he could locate his old skateboard. He was amazed when it was still exactly where he'd left it; behind a pile of corrugated iron sheets and rusty metal in the back alley. And it was still in pretty good condition. He briefly wondered if someone had been taking care of it, but quickly dismissed that – why would anyone bother?

He took it for a spin around the underground concourse, relishing the familiar feel of the wind whipping into his face, laughing out loud from sheer joy.

Then he saw ahead a person he hadn't seen in nearly seven years. Seifer Almasy. He was tempted to just skate into him (he still bore a slight grudge after their last battle), but resisted. After all, for all he knew, Seifer might have changed.

But as he skated past, a foot snapped out and stomped on the front of his board, catapulting him off of his skateboard.

"Hey there, Chickenwuss." And despite the grazes on his hands and knees, that voice sent a shiver down Hayner's spine.

"What the hell was that for, Almasy?" He demanded, standing up and picking grit out of his scrapes as he had when he was younger. Then there were hands on his shoulders, shoving him into the bricks of the wall, a hard body covering his.

"Would you have stopped if I hadn't?" Seifer asked huskily, his breath caressing the younger man's ear. He couldn't even form a reply to that before that mouth was perilously close to his own. "I've been meaning to do this for twelve years." And those hard lips were on his, a tongue pushing quickly into his mouth as he gasped, several things in his mind clicking. _This_ was what had been missing. Always missing. He pulled off the taller male's beanie hat and tangled his fingers in his hair, eyes closing as he feverishly kissed back.

Three months later, they were both lounging around Hayner's apartment in Traverse Town, naked and panting softly after certain activities. Hayner tucked his head under his boyfriend's chin and sighed contentedly.

"I love you." He mumbled sleepily.

"I love you too, Chickenwuss." Hayner chuckled. "What?"

"Nothing. Just thinking of that stupid newspaper article this morning." He yawned. Seifer snickered and pulled his lover closer.

'Dincht Dumps Drakyn?' it had read (Drakyn being Hayner's friend Sarah Drakyn, that the tabloids always hinted was his girlfriend). The article had gone on to read about how Hayner Dincht had been spotted with a young blonde man, about the same age as him, kissing in a club. It ended by saying that 'relationships within star and non-star couples always end badly'. Seifer had just thrown the paper in the bin and scooped Hayner up into a loving embrace, kissing his neck and saying, in a rare display of emotion,

"Well, they don't know anything. You've been my star since we were kids."


	31. Home

31. Home

When Hayner's parents had been killed in a car crash and the world seemed to be falling down around his ears, the one constant had been Seifer, his old worst enemy and now-boyfriend, who held and comforted him through the tears and hurt, offering silent sympathy and love.

And after the funeral, when Hayner turned to him and said brokenly, with sorrow-filled eyes,

"Please… can we go home?" Seifer didn't need to be told where he meant, and took him back to his apartment, where they spent three days vegging out on the sofa and watching cheesy old movies until Hayner was ready to face the real world again. After that, there were no arguments as to where the smaller boy would live; even his remaining family seemed to accept that with Seifer was where he wanted to be.


	32. Confusion

32. Confusion

When Seifer started to corner Hayner after Struggle matches, kissing him and touching him in ways he'd never even really considered before (he was too busy finding a way to beat Seifer in Struggle), he was more confused than anything else. Sure, he _liked_ these secret meetings and kisses, but when Seifer started telling him he loved him, then he got scared. Love was still such a huge concept to him that he didn't want to think about it. But one day, Olette sat him down and insisted that he either stopped meeting Seifer like this, or realised that he did, in fact reciprocate his feelings, don't ask how she knew.

Because he was a) a teenage boy and therefore emotionally backward and b) a coward, he made the wrong choice. And now, so many years later, he's still confused as to why he never just said those four words.


	33. Fear

33. Fear

There had been a time when Hayner was afraid of Seifer, it was true. Or at least, he thought it was that. Eventually, though, he realised it wasn't fear at all. It was something worse.

But when he had finally built up the courage to confess to Seifer, _that_ was when he was afraid; he was certain that he'd at the very least be rejected, probably beaten up somewhere in the process. But when he'd stuttered the three words that would change everything, Seifer had almost pounced on him, shoving him roughly into a wall where he proceeded to kiss him into oblivion.

It was only later that he found out that Seifer's one very real fear was his brown-eyed lover getting hurt.


	34. LightningThunder

34. Lightning/Thunder

In a way, Olette mused, Hayner and Seifer were like a storm. And not just because of their violently mood-swinging relationship. Hayner was fast and agile, but not as strong as his taller boyfriend. Seifer was the one people were afraid of, when it was Hayner who constantly pulled pranks on everyone, most of which backfired and left Seifer to yell at him for being an idiot. And there was the fact, of course, that they were virtually inseparable; one was very rarely seen without the other.

Olette stood to go on her date with Pence, feeling rather pleased with her analogy.


	35. Bonds

35. Bonds

Namine, one of the Norns, chuckled softly as she looked at the cloth her sisters and she had woven. In it, the strands of fate gathered and divided to show lifetimes and loves. She traced her finger lightly over the brightest strand, noticing that another, darker warp yarn moved closer and closer until they were wrapped tightly together, a small imperfection in the weave. She followed them further down the cloth as they separated and came close over and over again, until, at their end, their fibres had actually become entwined and had joined together to form a thread of two colours.

Namine blinked. The bonds that held these two lovers(?) were so strong that not even the gods would be able to undo anything, not that they usually could. Then, for the first time in many millennia, Namine felt the urge to go and see the fruits of her sisters and her work.

"You bastard, you'll pay for that!" Hayner shouted at Seifer, soaking wet.

"As if you'd ever be able to get me back." Seifer sneered derisively. The smaller blonde threw several curses at him before turning on his heel and stomping away.

~~~~~~~Two years later~~~~~~~~

"Yo, Chickenwuss." A husky voice greeted Hayner as he sneaked into the back alley. Hayner sighed softly as Seifer took him in his arms and kissed his neck gently. "God, Hayner… I love you."

"I know."

~~~~~~~Seven months later~~~~~~~

"Seifer, wait!" Hayner ran after the taller boy. The older blonde stopped, but didn't turn to look at him.

"Why should I? It's been a whole year, Hayner. I'm tired of you always saying 'I know' when I tell you I love you. God, do you know what that feels like? I give up." Seifer started walking again.

"Seifer!" Hayner took a step forwards, but hesitated. "I…"

"You what, Chickenwuss? You actually do care? Whatever, why should I believe you? Too little, too late." This time Hayner didn't try to stop him.

~~~~~~~Five years later~~~~~~~

"Well, lookie here. It's Chickenwuss, home from Hollow Asshat." Seifer mocked, but there was an undertone of bitterness. Hayner shook his head wearily.

"Not now, Seifer. Please, I'm tired, I'm ill and I just wanna go lie down." Seifer snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Typical Chickenwuss." And turned to leave.

~~~~~~~Two days later~~~~~~~

Hayner slammed Seifer into a wall and pressed their mouths together desperately, hands tearing at clothes. When there was a small pause for breath, Seifer panted,

"I never stopped, you know." Hayner smiled softly before kissing him again.

"Nor did I." He murmured against the taller male's lips. "I love you. I love you, I love you, I love you…"

Namine watched the lovers, smiling gently. After all of that heartbreak, they finally connected. Their bond was so strong, she reflected, looking once more towards the weaving. They would have so much anger and hurt, but there would be so much happiness too.

"Namine! Weaving, not watching! Get back here, or I'll flay your hide!" The small Norn sighed. Her sister was always so violent.

"I'm coming, Larxene."


	36. Market

36. Market

Seifer hated the slave market. He honestly, truly did. It was full of loud, irritating men shouting about their 'wares' and miserable, wretched people labelled as slaves. It was truly spectacular, a riotous spectrum of all that was ugly in people.

But today, as he walked through on his way to Tram Common, he caught sight of the most beautiful pair of brown eyes, filled with a dull, aching nothingness that made his heart skip a few beats. He moved closer and saw a pale, battered boy, probably not even seventeen, sitting inside one of the cramped cages. He had wavy blonde hair that stuck up and back absurdly from his head, a small, pliant mouth and lovely brown eyes framed by thick, dark eyelashes that gave him an innocent-yet-sultry look.

Those pretty eyes that he had first noticed narrowed into a glare directed towards him and there was such anger in that gaze that Seifer almost stopped in his tracks. But instead, he grabbed the slave driver roughly by the shoulder.

"How much?" He asked shortly, unable to believe that he was actually going to go against all of his principles just for this boy.

"Oh, him? Five hundred goldmarks." Seifer glanced towards the boy, knowing that even with his beautiful eyes, he wasn't worth anywhere near that much. But he'd have paid twice as much, for reasons he didn't quite understand. However, the slave driver didn't need to know that.

"Two hundred." He stated, eyes glinting.

"Four. And that's robbing me blind as it is." The dirty man complained.

"Two fifty. No more."

"Aw, no, I can't go that low, sir; three seventy is the lowest I can go without making too much of a loss."

"And how does that work out? You kidnap them from their homes or while they're out, feed them once a week if that and beat them regularly. Not to mention what happens behind closed doors. Three hundred goldmarks, take it or leave it. I haven't got all day."

"Three hundred, then." The ugly man agreed grudgingly. Seifer quickly paid him and had the man unlock the cage where the young boy was kept. He held out a hand to help him clamber out of the enclosed space, but he snapped his teeth at it, threatening to bite.

"Do you have a slave collar for him, sir?" the greasy vendor enquired. Seifer shook his head.

"I don't think he needs one. If he wants to run away, that's his choice, but if I were you," he spoke directly to the shivering boy now, "I'd stick around for at least a bath and a meal. When was the last time you ate?"

"Last night." The slave driver supplied hastily.

"I didn't ask you. Well?" The boy looked away, glaring at the ground. Seifer sighed and gripped the boy's elbow, pulling him along with him until they finally reached the edge of the noisy market. He took him a little way down an alley, so they were somewhere more private, before turning and repeating, "Well?" when there was no reply, he asked cautiously, "Can you speak?" The boy nodded. Seifer sighed and leaned back against the wall, rubbing his temples. This kid was difficult. Not that he had much experience with kids in the first place. "Look, what's your name, kid?" The young blonde simply stayed stonily silent. Seifer looked at him and asked dryly, "What, you want me to call you 'kid' forever?" The boy sighed and bent down to pick up a rock. He began scratching letters into the wall. "Hayner? That's your name? Ok, then… Wait, you can write?" Hayner rolled his eyes and Seifer felt the brief urge to throttle him a little bit. "Ok, so… How old are you?" Hayner held up two hands and then nine fingers. "Nineteen? Christ, I thought you were about sixteen… You're small, aintcha?" He hadn't been prepared for the punch that came then and Hayner managed to catch him a glancing blow on the jaw. Eyes burning, Seifer took a step towards the younger boy, whose eyes widened in shock and fear at what he'd done and what was probably about to happen. But before Seifer could even say a word, Hayner had turned and fled. "Ah, fuck…" He swore and ran after him.

Eventually, Seifer found the boy, hiding behind a pile of rubbish in Hackney Lane. Sighing, he dropped down beside the shaking boy.

"I'm not gonna hurt you, kid." He said, putting an arm around him. Hayner sat, trembling and tense as Seifer rested his chin on his head. "We'll just take it slow, ok?"


	37. Technology

37. Technology

"Public Safety Notice: This is an important announcement: there are five rogue A5Stars loose in the province of Sola; if you see any of these droids, report immediately to your nearest Retirement Officer. Do not attempt to follow them yourself as they are armed and dangerous. They are reported to be going by the aliases of 'Hayner Dincht', 'Seifer Almasy', 'Axel Flynn', 'Roxas Hikari' and 'Vincent Valentine'. We repeat: they are armed and dangerous." the buzzing voice echoed from the speakers set on every street corner.

Seifer shook his head and sighed. Why there was so much fuss, he knew well; the five laws of droids should have prevented the five of them from even considering escaping, let alone actually fleeing. But the whole business about them being armed was bullshit – he, Hayner, Axel and Roxas had no weapons at all. Vincent was the only one with a gun, and that was unloaded; the design was so old that no modern bullets would fit it.

Shaking his head again with a disdainful sneer on his face, he headed back toward the abandoned house that they had chosen until they could get off this tiny planet.

He entered silently, taking off his coat and shaking the rain off of it before dropping it in a corner and making his way through to the 'living room', as they'd jokingly called it.

"Hey Seif." Axel acknowledged his entrance and returned to poring over maps and plans with Vincent, trying to find the best star-route to take when they managed to commandeer a new transporter.

"Did you find anything?" Roxas called through from the kitchen, where he was reading through a ragged old newspaper dated back from 3089. Seifer shrugged.  
"They're still searching for us. And they've narrowed it down to this district. We'd better get out of here, and fast."

"Shit." Roxas swore. "Hayner! Get down here, pow-wow time!" There was a quiet rumbling sound and Seifer saw the dirty-blonde land on his front at the foot of the stairs and scramble up to walk into the room.

"Walk much, lamer?" Seifer smirked. Hayner glared at him but didn't deign to reply. The taller blonde grabbed him on his way past and pulled him in close to kiss him softly. Roxas, now used to this, simply rolled his eyes at his friends' antics. Hayner sighed and relaxed into Seifer's embrace, breaking the kiss to bury his head in his chest.

"See, you can't stay mad at me." Seifer commented, picking Hayner up bridal-style and striding into the living room with him.

"Goddammit, Seifer, put me down!" Hayner whacked the top of his lover's head ineffectually. The other robot just chuckled and dumped Hayner onto the sofa.

"Ok, guys, Vincent and I have found the probable best route." Axel said, biting the tip of his index finger as he looked at the charts.

"But we're going to need something with a lot of fuel." Vincent added quietly. Seifer nodded and looked around the old, dusty room as Axel droned on. There was a lot of history there. Too bad it didn't interest him. Not the ancient, long-dead chandelier, not the beautiful carvings around the cornices, not even the stained glass windows suggesting that this place might have once been a chapel. He had all he was interested in sitting right beside him. Out of reflex to that thought, he slipped his arm around Hayner's shoulders, pulling him closer to smell the oddly fruity shampoo Hayner used (well, they all used it; it was the only one they'd been able to snatch. And despite public opinion, robots did sometimes need showers – not for body odour, but they often got rather dirty and dusty. And the shampoo smelt nice. And it made them feel more human). He pressed a light kiss to his lover's temple.

"…And Seifer, are you even listening to me?" Axel asked crossly. Seifer shot straight up.

"Oh right. Yes. We have to commandeer a ship with enough fuel to last for the trip, and the Nevada 7500 is probably the best option because they're restocking one tonight at the nearest airfield." Axel blinked.

"…Yeah. Ok, seems you were paying attention, despite your ever-increasingly public displays of affection." Seifer would have flushed, but he knew that his circulatory system contained purely a special conductive plasma, rather than blood. Not to mention that fact that their skin wasn't as translucent as human skin. Another thing to dislike.

"We will need to be organised." Vincent stated. The others nodded. "Seifer, Hayner, you will need to dress as grunt droids. Axel, Roxas, you will need to ensure that there are no distractions. I will find a way to the cockpit to take out the pilot."

Later that night, at precisely 19:37 hours, Seifer and Hayner shot the grunt droids they were to replace with electricity shots that would scramble their signals for a few hours. They quickly slipped on the blue overalls and picked up the crates of fuel, returning their expressions to their manufactured, blank state before walking stiffly out of the door.

As they neared the shuttle, a conveyor belt to place the boxes of Neutralite on became visible, and they set down the fuel before turning in perfect unison to retrieve more. However, evidently one of the men on standby had other ideas. He reached out to grab Hayner's wrist and pulled him toward him. Grabbing the robot's chin, he stared at him for a moment before laughing and beckoning to one of the other guards.  
"Hey, Roy! Lookie here, a lover-bot acting as a grunt droid." Seifer froze, his entire being screaming at him to run and grab Hayner, but he remained still, expressionless, hoping that the man would lose interest so that they could continue with their escape plan.

"Excuse me, sir, but we must continue the loading of the shuttle before it takes off." Seifer said as though it was an automatic response.

"Shut up, droid." Sam didn't even spare him a glance.

Roy walked over, glancing curiously at Hayner before saying,

"Let it go, Sam - if the boss wants a lover bot to help with loading, it'll help. If this thing leaves late, then it's our asses that'll get fried." Sam chuckled.

"C'mon, Roy, there's another two hours before this baby takes off, and that one," he indicated Seifer, who was bristling with anger inside, "can manage fine by itself until we get back. How long's it been since ya got laid?"

"Two days, now let it go and do your job." Roy, losing interest, wandered back to his station. Sam gave Hayner a lingering look and quickly said,

"Hey, mind covering for me for ten minutes?" If Seifer had had a heart, it would have been in his throat. _Say no, Roy. Say no._ He struggled hard to keep his face blank of emotion, and could see that Hayner was too, despite his seemingly calm exterior.

Roy sighed.

"Ten minutes? Fine, but you owe me a drink later."

"Cheers Roy!" Sam proceeded to drag Hayner away. And it was at this point that Seifer snapped.

"Goddammit, let him go!" Seifer leapt forwards and punched Sam in the jaw. The force of metal and plastic hitting him in the face made Sam's eyes roll back into his head and he fell to the ground, unconscious.

Seifer quickly pressed his mouth to Hayner's, pretty sure that this would probably be their last kiss, given his fatal mistake.

"Emergency, emergency!" Roy shouted into his contactor. "Sector twelve, rogue droids!"

"Shit!" Hayner swore loudly and Seifer ran to knock out the unfortunate guard.  
"Seifer, Hayner, what's going on over there?" Axel demanded from Seifer's linker, located just behind his ear. He raised his palm to his face and spoke into the microphone beneath the 'skin' there.  
"They know we're here."  
"Dammit, Seifer, what did you do?" Hayner grabbed Seifer's hand and spoke into the receiver.  
"He stopped a guy from taking me." Axel stayed silent before saying,  
"Well hurry up, grab the next two crates and get on here. Use the conveyor belt."

Seifer glanced at Hayner and they both sprinted back to the storage unit, each lifting a box of Neutrolite and turning to leave.

When they reached the conveyor belt, Seifer heard orders being shouted and quickly shoved his crate onto the black strip that would take it up into the ship, grabbing Hayner's and turning to put it there too.

A shot filled the air and the box shattered in his hands, bars of Neutrolite tumbling onto the ground and rolling away in all directions as more electro shots zipped past them, narrowly missing them both.

"Shit, Hayner, get on there!" Seifer shouted, gathering as many of the Neutrolite bars as he could; they would need them to make it to the nearest non-colonial planet. Hayner instead dropped to the ground, helping him to pick up the fuel and throwing it onto the belt where it was taken up, into the ship.

The robots and men shooting at them were getting closer; it wouldn't be long before they could reach the ship. A bright blue flash caught Seifer's eye and he dropped the bars he was holding, barrelling into his lover to knock him out of the path of this unknown substance.

"Seifer, what-?" Whatever it was hit Seifer square in the back and he fell forwards, covering Hayner with his body as more shots were aimed at them. He felt his circuits beginning to close and shut down, his optical lines blurring as blue sparks danced along his skin.

He'd been hit with electro shots before, but this… This was something new, something different, and his system could not deal with it. His hands were losing their nerve endings already, his synthetic flesh numbing.

"When I say go…" he gritted out, the very words losing the sound of his voice and becoming tinny as they left the small, failing speakers within his mouth. "You are going to get on that shuttle and you are going to leave this godforsaken planet. Don't look back, don't hesitate. Got it?" There was no doubt; that was no longer his voice. Hayner nodded, his eyes wide and an anguished expression on his face. If he had had tear ducts, Seifer would have said that Hayner looked near to tears. But, as they were a useless function, they had not been installed even in the lover bots, and thus Hayner could not cry.

Seifer lowered his head a little to kiss Hayner once more, slowly, knowing that this time it _would_ be the final one. Hayner reciprocated almost desperately, tangling his fingers in his lover's hair.

"Don't leave me." He said brokenly, dry sobs beginning to make his chest tremble. "Seifer, there's no point in living without you here." Seifer shook his head.

"Live for me, Hay. Tell Axel to keep it in his pants, and Roxas to smile once in a while cos it's irritating with him being all emo the whole time. Oh yeah, tell Vincent he's awesome. And Hayner… I love you. No matter what shit they spew about us not having emotions… I do love you. Ok?" Hayner nodded,

"I… I love you t-" Seifer cut him off with another desperate kiss.  
"I know. Now when I say, you are getting out of here and finding a new planet, without guys like these, got it?" Hayner looked like he was about to shake his head so Seifer simply kissed him once more and said, "Now." Leaping to his feet with the last of his strength, he clambered clumsily over the conveyor belt and charged towards the oncoming humans, hearing Hayner's anguished cry as he fell to his knees.  
"Get going Chickenwuss!" he shouted over his shoulder, blue sparks making his limbs twitch spasmodically. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Hayner disappear into the dark tunnel of the belt up into the shuttle and sighed with relief. At least he was unharmed. For a brief moment, he heard echoes of the famous line in the ancient moving picture, 'Blade Runner': '_I've seen things you people wouldn't believe_**. **Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion... I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate. All those moments will be lost in time, _like tears in rain_. Time to die.'

As he collapsed face-forwards onto the ground, his tinny, fading voice mumbled five words wasted on those there to hear them.  
"Like tears in rain… Hayner..."


	38. Gift

38. Gift

When Hayner had been sixteen, his rival and 'worst enemy' (secret crush) was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour. After about a week of indecision, he sought out the blonde bully, who seemed unchanged by the news that he was going to die soon; still running around the Sandlot playing Struggle with anyone who still would, and picking fights with those that refused to on account of his 'condition'. Hayner's heart jolted as Seifer turned and their eyes met, a spark of excitement flashing through that blue-green gaze.  
"Hey, Lamer, fancy a Struggle?" Hayner nodded, a slight grin spreading across his face.

Seifer chucked a Struggle bat at him with a smirk and Hayner barely caught it, losing his balance for a moment.

Over the years, Hayner and Seifer had made up their own kind of language as they fought. Well, language wasn't quite right... Understanding was probably closer. But they'd always be able to tell what the other was feeling; whether they were angry or just playing, whether someone had pissed them off, whether they'd had their heart broken that day... In a way, they knew each other better than their friends did, because they could always put a mask on around them. And Hayner did. He knew Seifer did, too, because here he was, pretending everything was normal when he could tell from his slightly-too-forceful-to-be-playing moves that he was scared. Who wouldn't be?

... Hayner was too.

As they sparred, he could see Seifer's relief that someone was at least pretending that nothing had changed; that someone understood that he didn't _want_ to be treated differently, didn't _want _to acknowledge that anything had gone so horribly, horribly wrong.

And seeing that fierce, arrogant, trembling fear and pride, Hayner realised something. Of course, before he could fully form the thought, Seifer had knocked him to the ground and straddled him, looking down at him with that irritating (and oh so pretty) smirk. And for once, Hayner smiled back. A look of surprise briefly crossed Seifer's features before he relaxed his smirk into a real smile, the look in his eyes almost fond. Hayner half-hoped that he was going to kiss him, but before the tension could grow any further, he blurted out involuntarily,

"Every day's a gift." Seifer frowned, blinking once and Hayner brought his arms up to cup Seifer's face in his hands, drawing him down into a slow, warm kiss. He probed Seifer's lips with his tongue, feeling the older boy gradually respond, parting them to allow Hayner's tongue entrance. To his surprise, Seifer didn't really put up much of a fight for dominance. It was almost like he wanted to submit for once. In that kiss, Hayner could feel Seifer's fervent need for someone to… to be _there_.

Another surprising thing was that neither Fuu nor Rai were anywhere near them when they pulled apart for air. Hayner smiled up at Seifer, who was looking uncertain and more than a bit wary.

"Let me rephrase that." His grin grew, "Every day _with you_ is a gift." Of course, for this Seifer had to smack the top of the younger male's head and say,

"You utter sap." Before kissing him again.

No, Hayner didn't know what would happen, and yes, he was frightened that his 'newfound' lover was going to die soon, but none of that mattered. All that mattered was that he had him _now._

* * *

**AN: **End of mass update. DDD: sorry about lateness and spamming and stuff... .


	39. Smile

39. Smile

"Smile Hayner!" Olette giggled and Hayner stuck his tongue out at her as Pence's camera flashed. Just as Pence raised his camera to take another photo of them, a rough push sent Hayner sprawling into the sand. He came up scowling and the flash went off.

"Get lost Seifer!" He growled, hands balled into fists by his sides

"Public beach, Chickenwuss." Seifer shrugged and sniggered at his nemesis' sand-covered face.

"Ice cream." Fuu stated, arching one slender eyebrow. Seifer nodded.

"Ok." Hayner glared at his rival's back as he strode away, refusing to let himself feel lust of any sort for Seifer's half-naked body.

A few hours later, after several dips in the ocean, the trio had agreed to start packing up to leave. But before they did, Pence insisted that he should get to try out the timer function on his camera to take a picture of all three of them. Olette had sighed good-naturedly and pulled Hayner towards the chubby, sweet boy. They stood with their arms around each other and two of them grinned. However, the third was caught off guard when his eyes were automatically drawn to a certain other blonde, who was curled up asleep in the sand, looking oddly peaceful. A soft, distant smile lit up Hayner's face as he watched his so-called enemy sleeping on the sand, his usually scowling face transformed into something beautiful.

Flash.

For weeks after that incident, Olette wouldn't stop bugging Hayner about what had made him smile like that. Of course, she just _had_ to notice when he watched Seifer walk away from their group once again, another dreamy smile following him.

* * *

**AN: **Man, I suck at deadlines, huh? Sorry guys.


	40. Innocence

40. Innocence

"Guilty!" The judge's gavel fell with a clatter on the little block. "Seifer Almasy, you are found guilty by the jury of murdering Jason Holmes on the night of the fifteenth of November. You are hereby sentenced to a minimum of seventeen years in jail, without parole." Seifer refused to show any emotion. They'd stripped him of his freedom, his life, his home. They would not take his pride too.

**_RING_**

Seifer awoke with a start and groaned, rubbing his eyes. Hello second day of prison. Well, first whole day. Oh, and today was the day his roommate returned from solitary confinement. Just his luck to get the psycho. Or whatever. Ah well, he had better get going. Ugh, seventeen years of this crap? It was enough to make even the great Seifer Almasy cry with frustration. But he wouldn't. There was no way anyone was going to see him crying.

**_RING_**

Trudging back to his cell, Seifer sighed, once again biting his lip to keep from screaming. He had no idea who the guy was that he was supposed to have murdered anyway. He had never even seen his face before he was shown the photos. And he was part of the Disciplinary Committee – he protected the town's inhabitants, not killed them! Why would he want to kill some guy he'd never even met?

Sitting on his bunk, his buried his face in his hands, blocking out all reality in favour of memories. Fuu, Rai and him eating ice cream on the beach. Vivi suddenly getting a fucking massive growth spurt and almost reaching Seifer's height. That party at Selphie's where he'd lost his virginity to some chick with antennae…

"Boom baby!" Seifer jumped and glared up at the dirty-blonde boy who'd just filled the cell door. Before he could even growl a word, the boy was roughly shoved forwards, sprawling on the floor. "Getcher filthy hands offa me, Bluey!" the kid (he was just a freaking _kid_!) yelled, spitting tacks at the warden who slammed and locked the door behind him. "I'm the… the fucking princess of Canada!" the boy shouted after him, grinning before breaking down into hysterics. Seifer couldn't even tell if they were giggles or sobs that wracked the smaller male's frame.

Sighing, he stood and moved closer to the other boy, kneeling beside him. If he thought he had it bad, then this kid was in Hell. Quietly humming soothingly, he pulled the boy into a rough embrace, where smaller hands clutched desperately at his overalls, a pretty little face sobbing uncontrollably into his shirt.

"C'mon, kid… It'll be ok, c'mon." Seifer murmured, unsure of what to do.

"Don't… don't, please…" the boy whimpered into his chest, hiccupping. "I don't wanna do it anymore! I don't wanna do it anymore!" the last sentence escalated in volume to become almost a scream, the darker blonde burying his face in Seifer's uniform orange overalls, shaking.

"Do what?" Seifer asked helplessly. God, he didn't wanna get stuck with this broken creature for seventeen years.

"_That_." He whispered harshly in reply.

"What?" Seifer shook his head. "I don't- uhn." The younger male had grabbed his groin through the uncomfortable fabric of his 'uniform' and insisted,

"_That._"

"Wha- oh. Oh." Seifer's eyes widened. Someone would do that to a… a pathetic little kid? God… He picked up the younger boy bridal-style and laid him on one of the bunks, sitting beside him and gently running a hand through his messy hair.

It wasn't like him to be kind, but something about this whole thing stank of wrongness to him. Looking at the kid's face, he couldn't have been more than sixteen or seventeen. So young to be trapped here. So young to be jailbait. So young… Sure, Seifer was young in most people's books, but he'd already been through a bunch of shit, and knew how to handle himself in difficult situations, how to make sure that no one messed with him.

"Don't worry kid. I'll look after you." Seifer found himself saying. "What's your name?"

"H-Hayner." The smaller male sniffed, wiping his nose on his vest, for some reason not wearing the standard-issue overalls.

"I'm Seifer." Seifer said, resisting the urge to hug the kid again.

Those big, brown eyes stared up at him, so full of wariness and fear; those lanky, coltlike limbs all splayed out after being wrapped so tightly around him. He was just too damn adorable for his own good, that was the problem. If they'd met under different circumstances, Seifer would have probably hit on him; but as it was… He didn't want to scare the kid any more than he already was.

Glancing back down at him, he saw that the younger male had fallen asleep, and he stood to go to his own bunk. However, the smaller boy kept a tight grip on his hand, which Seifer hadn't noticed he'd been holding before. Sighing, clambered over Hayner and lay down behind him, wrapping his arms around him so that the shorter blonde wouldn't fall out of the too-small bunk. He'd work out why he was being nice tomorrow.

**_RING_**

Seifer woke up to find Hayner sitting on him, his eyes narrowed.

"Last night did _not_ happen, got it?" The younger boy hissed. Seifer simply raised an eyebrow before shoving him off.

"Sure thing, kid. No skin off my nose." Sitting up, he felt once again that horrible urge to cry out at the sight of those harsh, unforgiving grey walls. Something must have shown in his face, because Hayner abruptly said,

"Don't worry, you get used to it." Seifer ignored him.

"So, how long you in here for?" Seifer shrugged.

"Seventeen years."

"Jesus, what did you _do_?"

"Nothing. Nothing at fucking all." Seifer replied bitterly.

"You musta done something." The slighter of the two insisted.

"They think I killed some guy I'd never even heard of before." Seifer snapped. "Stupid git went walking down Back Alley at midnight and they automatically assume it was me. You?" Hayner shook his head.

"Ten years – I actually did kill a guy. Been here two years already."

"Why'd you do it?" Seifer asked.

"He tried to rape me." Hayner replied blankly. "Course, if I'd known I'd go to prison for self-defence… Well, I would have let him – better once than every couple nights, huh?" Seifer suddenly felt sick. What the fuck was this all about? He hadn't killed anyone and was stuck in prison, and Hayner had been freaking _molested_ and had gotten nicked for putting a stop to it. Jesus Christ, the system was fucking bogus.

**_RING_**

Hayner glared at the warden who unlocked their door and stiffly walked out, Seifer following him.

"So why were you in solitary anyway?" Seifer enquired as they made their way toward the canteen. Hayner shrugged.

"Bad behaviour – I stabbed a guy in the gut." Seifer blinked, but didn't ask any more, pretty certain of the reason, given Hayner's behaviour last night.

When they reached the eating area, Hayner grabbed a tray and slammed it down on the counter, trembling with rage as his eyes swept the room. Seifer took one too and stood beside him, eventually placing a hand on his shoulder and saying,

"Hey, cool it."

"Shut up." Hayner replied shortly, his pretty brown eyes filled with anger. "I can _see_ them looking at me. They're _always _watching me. Always."

"Who?" Seifer scanned the tables, noticing nothing.

"_Them. _The ones that keep… fucking bastards…" Hayner gritted out, growling in frustration. "They fucking come _near _me and I'm gonna make sure I kill them this time." Seifer squeezed the smaller boy's shoulder.

"You won't be killing anybody. They won't come near you, I'll make sure of it."

"What the fuck makes you think I need your protection?!" Hayner hissed, making sure not to shout and draw attention.

"Oh I don't know, maybe the fact that you couldn't even _stand_ last night and made me sleep in your bed?" Seifer rolled his eyes, biting his tongue not to snap. Hayner just narrowed his eyes and glared, balling his hands into fists. Seifer shook his head with a sneer.

"You really think you're gonna win a fight against me?" The shorter male just growled deep in his throat, obviously fighting not to punch him.

"Jeez, kid, I'm trying to fucking help you, so drop the high and mighty proud act and get your head outta your ass." Hayner opened his mouth to reply but the man behind the counter interrupted.

"You gonna get over here and get your breakfast or go hungry, cos I ain't waiting." Hayner took in a shuddering breath, forcing himself to calm down. Seifer strode over.

"Sorry; someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning." He threw a meaningful glance at Hayner, who just muttered unintelligibly and shot him a venomous glare.

After a tensely silent meal, at least between them, Seifer and Hayner had stood almost in unison to dispose of their plates and trays. Of course, this was when the trouble started. As Hayner walked past a table of guys between twenty five and thirty, a large hand shot out and grabbed his ass, crude laughter sounding as he yelped and jumped forwards. The young man turned with acidic eyes and stared almost blankly at the owner of the hand, a scarred silverette with violet eyes.

"Touch me again, and you will die." He said coldly, unemotionally.

"Oh yeah, and how're you gonna manage that?" the larger man asked, standing and towering over the brown-eyed boy. Seifer sighed and thought it was probably time to intervene. Placing his tray on an empty seat, he made his way back towards Hayner, who was glaring up at the tanned man. Seifer had fought larger men before, usually in Struggle, but he had always had Rai and Fuu to help take care of everyone else in a gang. He slipped up behind Hayner and leaned his arms on the shorter male's shoulders, resting his chin on the top of the brown-eyed boy's head.

"They giving you trouble, Babe?" Oh God. He nearly winced; _Babe?_ Surely even he could have come up with a better word than that. Ah well, too late to worry now.

"And who's your pretty little boy toy?" the silverette asked menacingly. Seifer shrugged and answered before Hayner could.

"Hayner. Isn't he cute?" He kissed the top of the younger male's head, who was now repeatedly jabbing him in the gut with his elbow, only slightly, so that the other guys couldn't see, but enough to warn him that Hayner was fast losing his patience.

"I wasn't asking you." The older man growled. "I _know_ who he is."

"Oh, I bet you do." Seifer straightened, keeping his hands on Hayner's shoulders. "And if you touch him again, you'll have more than just him to worry about." The silverette laughed.

"And what are you going to do? Glare me to death?" Seifer smirked and said,

"You'll have to wait and see, faggot."

"Why the Hell did you do that?!" Hayner demanded once they had returned to their cell.

"Do what?" Seifer shrugged off the upper part of his uniform and sat on his bunk.

"That! Out there! You… I was fine by myself!" He hissed, sitting down forcefully on his own cot. Seifer snorted.

"Didn't look like it to me, kid."

"_Hayner._ And for your information, I've been able to handle it for two years, buddy." Seifer snickered.

"Yeah, right. You're a fucking mess. One minute you're weepy and the next tryin' to be a hardass. Jeez, I ain't gonna care if you admit that you're scared or whatever. Just don't bullshit me."

"Shut up! And don't fucking use 'faggot' as an insult, you bastard, some of us aren't as straight as you'd like to think." Seifer blinked, momentarily confused.

"You're gay?" Hayner glared.

"Yeah, so shut the fuck up. And no, that doesn't mean I enjoy getting 'punked'." Seifer wrinkled his nose.

"I didn't say it did. Jeez, man, I'm on the same ray of the freaking rainbow, so don't go assuming things you don't know either."

It had been two months now, and Seifer's mild claustrophobia was increasing. So much so that he could no longer go into their cell without shuddering. The fights he often got into with the guys who continually tried to catch Hayner helped to ease that, but he knew it was only going to keep him in there longer, for 'bad behaviour'. Jeez, who cared? By the time he got out, his life would be practically over anyway. And he wouldn't come up for parole for at least a decade anyway.

But it was only when it was Hayner's turn to offer him comfort from his fears that he realised how bad it was getting.

After that, they came to a silent understanding, and usually ended up lying together on one or the other's bunk at night, despite the cramped space; they both found it took away the nightmares.

It was shortly after that that they started having sex – they were friends (despite their regular, silent, fistfights in the dead of night), they were both gay, sleeping in the same bed anyway and both relatively attractive, so it just _worked_. Plus, neither of them had gotten laid (at least, not willingly) in months. And there was the loneliness – prison wasn't exactly known for its incredible social life.

Exactly one year after Seifer arrived, Hayner had quite deliberately 'come across' two sets of wardens' handcuffs (probably from Xigbar – he was 'the man who knows how to get stuff') and managed somehow to handcuff himself to his bunk, naked, just before Seifer got back, resulting in a rather long night of fucking, leaving them both sore in the morning – Seifer had actually opted to bottom a couple of times during their… anniversary night.

It was about three days after that that Hayner got caught by his tormentors and gang-banged hard enough to put him in the hospital area for two weeks. Two weeks which Seifer spent finding each of the men on their own and beating them to within an inch of their lives, receiving a black eye, fractured arm and an even worse reputation for his trouble. But it did also mean that he got to visit Hayner while they checked the X-Rays on his arm.

"You ok, Chickadee?" Seifer asked softly, feeling a twinge in his chest at the pathetic sight of Hayner lying, all beaten and broken and tied to drips, on a hospital bed. Hayner managed a half-hearted glare and muttered,

"What do you think?" before sighing and relaxing his scowl into what could almost have been described as a smile. "I heard about what you did while I've been out." He paused and wet his lips nervously. "Thanks." Seifer had to restrain himself from leaning over to kiss his friend; they were being kept an eye on by a rather strong-looking nurse.

It took another three months for Seifer to actually come out and admit to Hayner that he loved him. Those pretty brown eyes widened and the smaller blonde looked unsure of whether to run and kiss Seifer, or flee. Luckily, Axel, one of the other inmates (an arsonist) and a friend of theirs, had taken the choice out of his hands and sent him flying forwards into Seifer's arms.

Six years later, they were still as in love as they could be, and still they fought, and still they were in the same cell. But then new evidence was brought forward by Rai and Fuu, Seifer's oldest, best friends who still sometimes came to visit, yet never knew of his relationship with Hayner. They'd found a witness.

The case was reopened and Seifer had to go through the whole ordeal again. Only this time, he didn't know if he wanted to leave – how could he choose between freedom and Hayner? It was just crazy.

However, the choice was taken out of his hands when the jury overruled the previous sentence and acquitted Seifer of all charges, except graffiti, which they judged had been paid for many times over.

On Seifer's last day in Twilight Jail, he didn't bother packing; he didn't want any of it anyway – besides, Hayner could use it. Instead, he spent what little time they had left holding Hayner, trying not to let any tears fall, and not remarking on the spreading wetness at his collar, where Hayner's face was buried in his neck.

"I love you, Hayner. I swear, every weekend, I'll be here." Hayner nodded silently, only clutching at him tighter. After so long, being so close together, this was breaking their hearts.

Every weekend, Seifer came. Every single one. And every time, his heart would break just a little more to see how _tired_, how worn, his Hayner was getting. And every time, he'd wish to God that he could touch him, hold him. And every time, he'd say,

"Only a bit longer, Chickadee, only a little while." And Hayner would smile wearily and nod with a sigh.

One day, Seifer didn't come. And Hayner tried not to be worried; after all, he was 'outside' – he probably had to work overtime or something.

But when Seifer didn't come the next week, or the next, Hayner started panicking; Seifer had promised to come every weekend, and he hadn't come for nearly two months. Two damn months. Maybe he'd had an accident, or found someone else, or they'd stopped him from coming or… It was only another month before Hayner came up for parole. Only another month… Then he could find out what had happened to his lover. A whole damn month.

Hayner had been lucky; the woman in charge of parole-giving, or whatever she did, had seen how haunted and frightened he looked, read how long he'd been there (almost ten years) and had taken pity on him. He was free. Well, relatively.

The first thing he did was catch a train to Twilight Town, where he and Seifer had both come from, taking the tram to Sunset Heights, where Seifer had said he was from. He saw a slender silverette walking around with a tall, broad-shouldered man and stopped them, almost certain that they were Seifer's friends.

"Ex-excuse me, are you… Are you Seifer's friends?" He panted, hands on his knees. The girl he assumed was Fuu blinked her red eyes silently and nodded. Rai opened his mouth but Fuu interrupted before he could begin.

"Were. Gone." Hayner blinked, eyes widening.

"Wh-what? What do you mean 'gone'?" A pained look crossed the girl's petite features.

"Tram accident. He…" She bit her lip to keep her emotionless mask from slipping. "Run over. Died in hospital."

"No…" Hayner shook his head. "No, no he can't be dead!" He backed away slightly, a crazed look entering his eyes. "No, he promised! He promised he'd wait for me! He-he can't…" Fuu shook her head, sorrow filling her gaze.  
"You're Hayner?" He nodded, falling back against a wall, pale as a sheet and taking trembling breaths.

"He's… Oh God… Oh my God…" he repeated, staring at his hands. He'd never quite realised how much he had _depended _on Seifer being there once he got out. How freaking _alone_ he was without him. Uncaring that he was being watched, he slid down the wall and sat with his knees bent in front of him, still staring through his fingers. He didn't even notice the tears at first. A movement at the corner of his eye signalled that Rai and Fuu were sitting down next to him, the tall man putting an arm around his shoulders while Fuu somehow helped by simply being there.

After a while, Hayner had asked where Seifer had been buried (he'd always said he didn't like the idea of being cremated) and had left. Now he was kneeling beside his lover's grave, a bedraggled handful of daisies all the flowers he could find. He furiously rubbed at his eyes as tears leaked out once more, sobs starting to shake his thin frame.

"Hey Seifer." He sniffed. "I… God…" he looked toward the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. "I know I told you so many times, but never enough… I love you. I _fucking_ love you, and…" he swiped his sleeve across his eyes, laughing bitterly. "And now we're never gonna be able to watch the sunset from the clock tower or eat ice cream together or…" he broke down, covering his face with his hands. He leaned forwards until his head was pressed to the grass above where Seifer's coffin lay, rocking slightly as he cried.

He lay on his side next to the ground his lover was buried beneath and watched the sunset through his hands, curled in front of his face.  
"The sun's setting here, Seifer. I don't know if you can see from wherever you are, but… At least we kinda get to watch it together, huh?" he closed his eyes as the darkness settled on the graveyard, curling closer in on himself against the cold, shivering every now and then. A light snowfall started and he felt the cold, white flakes settle on him and around him, covering him. He couldn't stop shivering, but still he couldn't drag himself up and away. There was nothing to look forward to, after all.

Then warm arms slipped around him, lips pressing against his neck as a hard, taller body settled against his from behind, holding him close. He didn't open his eyes, not wanting to ruin his half-waking dream, and smiled as he heard a quiet whisper of,  
"Hey there, Chickenwuss…"

They found him the next afternoon, a group of mourners there for a funeral. He was half-buried in the snow, with a faint, sad smile on his face and looking almost as though he was asleep.

* * *

**AN: **Yeah, this was meant to be a drabble. It counts. It does!


	41. Completion

41. Completion

Everything was… Perfect. For the others, at least. Roxas had Axel, Demyx had Zexion, Fuu and Rai were together and Pence and Olette had each other. It was just Hayner who was feeling left out. He didn't even think of Seifer in there – he just assumed that he already had some chick, or didn't care. How wrong he was.

Everything was incomplete; so many things Seifer had wanted to do before college; beat Setzer ten times (he'd managed eight but then the silverette had moved away), try takoyaki, go skinny dipping at the beach, kiss Hayner… Yeah. And now time was nearly up. College was looming, and everyone else seemingly had a boyfriend or girlfriend to see the last of the summer out with. What would be the fun in trying takoyaki by yourself? And skinny dipping was pointless if there was no one to sneak glances at. And kissing Hayner would be difficult without the other boy's presence.

Seifer looked up from his musing and noticed Hayner sitting, also alone, on another bench.

"Friends dump you for another lamer, Chickenwuss?" He called with a smirk. His rival shot a glare in his direction.

"Could ask you the same thing." Seifer shrugged.

"Fuu and Rai're on a date."

"Huh, same here; Pence and Olette are at the movies and Roxas is with Asshole doing stuff I probably don't wanna think about."

"Probably?" Seifer asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, shut up." Hayner looked away. Seifer sighed and stood, walking over to where the smaller blonde was sat and settled down beside him.

"Feels weird, huh?" He remarked after a few minutes of silence. Hayner simply nodded, sighing. Quiet descended once more, the Sandlot empty except for them on a warm, lazy day. "Hey." Seifer said quietly. "This feels even weirder, right?" He chuckled mirthlessly. "Us not fighting, I mean." Hayner quirked a half-smile.

"Yeah." He sat up and laughed softly. "Maybe Roxas wasn't quite right when he said it was our destiny to be enemies forever." Seifer nodded thoughtfully.

"I certainly hope so." Their eyes met and they both burst out laughing, peals of childlike, innocent giggles echoing around the Sandlot as they laughed at everything and nothing.

Eventually, their laughter quieted once more, with them now lying on their backs on the dusty ground, facing opposite directions with their heads almost touching. They both folded their arms behind their heads, their elbows knocking together when they moved, but neither of them felt like shuffling away. It was odd, this peace… This calm. Odd, but… Nice. It was so comfortable, as though they knew each other better than anyone else did. In a way, perhaps that was true.

"Hey, Chickenwuss?" Seifer asked after a time, and Hayner somehow felt that the insult was meant as more of a fond pet-name than to annoy him.

"Yeah?" Seifer hesitated for a moment before rolling onto his side and resting his elbow in the sand, propping his head on his hand. His blue eyes surveyed the blonde in front of him, who calmly met his gaze.

"Wanna go on a date?" Hayner blinked.

"What?"

"Well, why not? It'd shock the living hell outta everyone, and it's not like it'd mean anything." For some reason, Hayner felt a twinge in his chest at those last words. "Besides, it could be fun." The younger male suspiciously searched Seifer's eyes for any hint of deceit, but found none. So he nodded.

"Alright then. What do you wanna do?" Seifer thought about it for a moment.

"I've always wanted to try takoyaki." He suggested, his smirk returning. Hayner chuckled and sat up, nearly bumping noses with the taller boy.

"Takoyaki it is. They sell it at that little café near the beach."

On the train, Seifer thought of how many times he'd been in that same carriage, on the same journey, in that same seat, with Fuu and Rai, and how mundane he'd let it become. When, in less than a week, he'd only be able to take that journey once in a blue moon. Swallowing past the sudden, unwanted lump in his throat at the thought of leaving everything he knew behind for so long, he turned and gazed out of the window, almost desperately drinking in the view from the railway tracks that he had paid no attention to for years. He wanted to ingrain every bit into his memory, lest he forget it.

He hadn't expected the warm, gentle hand that gripped his shoulder as Hayner turned and joined him in his scrutiny of the rapidly-passing landscape.  
"Scary, huh?" Hayner commented quietly, his grip on Seifer's shoulder tightening slightly. Seifer nodded wordlessly.

"Two mixed takoyakis please." Hayner said cheerfully at the till in the little shop-come-café near the beach. It was close enough for quickly grabbing lunch on a day out, but far enough that most tourists would never find it, so it was a pleasant change from the ice cream kiosks and beachside restaurant. Seifer stood beside him and pretty much forced the other boy to let him pay – _I asked you out so I'll pay, now take your food and let's get out, Lamer._

They sat on the sea wall together, watching the once again stunning sunset over the water as Hayner devoured his takoyaki, Seifer chewing more thoughtfully and watching the younger boy with amusement in his aqua eyes.

"You're gonna choke, Lamer." He chuckled. Hayner shot a glare, well, more of a pout, at him before smirking too.

"No 'm not." Seifer just laughed as Hayner started coughing.

"Yeah, great idea to speak with your mouth full of Japanese doughballs, genius." Hayner coughed again and scowled at Seifer.

"Better than you always _talking_ balls." Seifer snickered and cuffed Hayner's ear.

"Finish your balls, Chickenwuss." Hayner rolled his eyes and complied, eyeing Seifer as he quickly finished his.

"So, like 'em?" Hayner asked after a while. Seifer nodded.

"They're ok. Bit bland, though."

"You should have taken the soy sauce." Hayner prodded him playfully. Seifer promptly leaned over and started tickling him, pinning him to the ground so he couldn't escape. Hayner still struggled valiantly, however, though it was all in vain as the older, stronger boy definitely had the advantage over the lithe Struggler.  
"Beg for mercy, loser!" Seifer commanded, smirking as the younger boy squirmed helplessly.

"Gah! Get off me!" Hayner frowned, pouting before laughing again as Seifer only tickled him harder. "Ah, no! Argh, get off!" Hayner kicked upwards and sent Seifer flying a few feet.

The older blonde winced as he scrambled up.

"Hey, Lamer, you didn't need to freaking give me wings if you wanted me off that badly."

"…Sorry." Hayner mumbled, looking away.

"Whatever." The smaller boy blinked; Seifer wasn't going to retaliate?

"Ok, what's up with you?" He asked abruptly, standing. "You're being… friendly."

"What, can't I be nice sometimes?" Seifer grumbled, scowling at the ice cream kiosk that had just closed.

"Not as far as I know." Hayner said challengingly, placing his hands on his hips. "Seriously, what's up with you?" Seifer smirked.

"Oh, a lot's 'up'." He said suggestively. Hayner blinked.

"Are you… Did you just… Are you _flirting_ with me?" Seifer shrugged.

"Maybe."

"Bu-wha… Why?" Hayner stuttered, flabbergasted.

"Maybe I'm just tired of us always fighting. I mean, seriously, isn't there anything better we could be doing? Hasn't today been kinda fun, despite its utter weirdness?" Hayner nodded uncertainly, wondering if this was some kind of new way to get one up on him.

"Anyway, all of the others seem to be getting together and we're the only two not going for all that romance crap, so it kinda makes sense to not fight the whole time, right?"

"Er, right…" Hayner nodded slowly. "Whatever. What d'you wanna do now?" he asked, changing the subject as he glanced over at the sunset. "It's getting kinda late." There was silence for a few moments, then,

"Hey, Chickenwuss, let's go swimming."

"Oh God, I can't believe we're doing this…" Hayner snickered as he pulled off his shirt.

"Relax, Lamer, there's no one around. Besides, don't tell me you've never thought about it." Beside him, Seifer was removing his belly shirt and pulling on the drawstring of his baggy trousers. Hayner suddenly looked away, his mouth dry. Ignoring the nervous flip flops his stomach was doing, he quickly pulled off his shoes and shorts, sneaking a glance at Seifer as the older boy was about to pull off his boxers. Face flaming, Hayner whipped his head away, staring resolutely at the last edge of the sun slipping below the horizon.

"C'mon, Lamer." Seifer drawled, smirking. Hayner realised with a jolt that he was still wearing his boxers and quickly yanked them off. They glanced at each other and their eyes met, grins suddenly sprouting on both of their faces. They nodded in unison and burst out laughing, pelting down towards the water.

When they reached the sea, they ran in, determined not to let the other see them chicken out at the cold. Hayner tripped, the sudden resistance of the water against his legs unbalancing him. He dropped into the water with a splash that sent billions of little sparkling water droplets flying into the air, reflecting the last rays of sunlight before falling back into the water in a beautiful arc.

Seifer grinned down, laughing.

"Walk much?" Hayner sat up, wiping the salty water out of his eyes and glared at his rival. A devilish smirk took hold of his face and he leaped forwards, bringing Seifer splashing down into the water as well. "Jesus, fuck, that's cold!" Seifer gasped, shuddering. Hayner nodded, shivering but getting used to it. He splashed some water at Seifer, who was quick to respond. Soon a small naval battle ensued.

Eventually, after several failed attempts (on Hayner's part) to duck Seifer, and several successful duckings of Hayner, they agreed that it was getting late and they'd miss the last train home if they waited any longer in the water (meaning that they were both frozen to the marrow and would most certainly not admit it).

The both staggered out of the water, the cooling night air hitting their wet bodies and making them shiver. They danced around on the sand for a while to dry off and warm up a bit before pulling on their boxers. Then, of course, Seifer had to do the equivalent of a towel-whip (with trousers instead) and Hayner naturally had to pounce on him and pin him to the ground, meaning that of _course _Seifer had to flip them so he was on top and lazily smirk down at the younger boy, who obviously then had to surge up and press their lips together.

Neither boy had been expecting that, but equally, neither was going to protest. Seifer's eyes widened for a moment before fluttering closed, Hayner's mirroring the action. They moved their lips carefully, experimentally, against each others', unsure and slightly hesitant before Seifer placed one hand on Hayner's cheek, tilting his head slightly before kissing him more fervently.

When they finally broke apart, Hayner smiled weakly up at the older male, both wearing dazed and soft expressions as they looked at each other.

They'd kissed a few more times before getting dressed and heading back towards the train station, not holding hands, but maybe wanting to. On the train, they didn't really speak much, or even act as if anything had changed between them, but when Seifer turned to walk to his apartment, Hayner followed.

Once inside, Seifer offered Hayner a drink, and Hayner asked for just a glass of water.

"Uh… I'm gonna go take a shower, ok? Salt'n'sand and all that." Seifer said quietly, tired from the day's shenanigans. Hayner nodded and watched the other boy's ass as he walked away.

Sitting there, Hayner heard the shower turn on and slowly smiled; the door was left ever so slightly ajar, inviting and beckoning. He stood, his smile growing, slipping off his shirt and shorts, quickly followed by his boxers, and walked over to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him.

* * *

**AN: **When I hear the word 'completion' I think of my friends and how lucky I am to have them. This was kinda spawned from my sadness that one day in a couple of years, we might not see each other for a long time. :( guys, let's not let that happen.


	42. Clouds

42. Clouds

Hayner lay on his back and contemplated the clouds that were heavy and pregnant with rain, yet still did not let go and just cry their heavenly tears. He snorted softly, bitterly. Kind of like him. He'd finally confessed to Seifer, receiving for his heart a throbbing cheekbone and harsh, hateful words of anger.

So he'd gone up to Sunset Hill to try to think of something other than the broken pieces of his heart that had been so cruelly shattered and shoved back in his face by that bastard Almasy.

As the first raindrop fell and landed with a small splash on his nose, Hayner closed his eyes and let the tears fall.

* * *

**AN: **Oh my, I hear you say; a short one?!

PS, sorry for spamming your inboxes.**  
**


	43. Sky

43. Sky

Hayner blinked, looking up into blue sky framed by the sun. Wait, what? He sat up and hit his head against whatever or whoever was above him.

"Goddammit, Chickenwuss!" He heard an all-too-familiar voice and cringed, rubbing his forehead. Sitting up, he saw Seifer clutching his nose with a grimace on his face. The younger blonde looked around the sky-blue room, realising quite calmly, given the circumstances, that he was not in his own room. Ok, he could deal with that. He looked to his right, where Seifer was sitting in the same bed as him, cussing the room even bluer and saw that he was at least shirtless. Alright, he could deal with that too. He quickly checked under the covers and found that he was, in fact, naked. Oh. Well damn.


	44. Heaven

44. Heaven

As Seifer thrust into Hayner again, he arched his back, eyes tight shut and he swore he could see heaven in the white stars that burst across his vision.

But afterwards, when they were lying together, limbs sprawled all over the place, when Seifer rolled over to gaze at him like he _loved_ him, and leaned over to press a kiss to Hayner's cheek, when Hayner curled up into the warmth of the older man's body, that was when Hayner really felt like he was in heaven. Sure, the sex was great – that was really all they had most of the time – but Hayner would never give up those warm, almost loving moments afterwards for anything.


	45. Hell

45. Hell

Hayner was scared. Scared beyond belief, but it wasn't something 'normal' that he was scared of, like spiders or the dark or death. It was what would happen _after_ death that frightened him. He knew that he was destined for hell in several different religions; he had sex with a guy, regularly; he wasn't married to him, and he was irrevocably in love with him. He didn't know if Seifer shared that last sentiment, because he could never bring himself to say the three words that might change everything. But he was afraid because the only hell he could imagine was being separated from the man he loved. And he knew he could never bear that.


	46. Sun

46. Sun

Sun. Dawn, morning, noon, afternoon, dusk. Hayner loved the sun – it was so bright and warm. Sadly, the sun was the one thing he would almost never see, being the damn moon. Why couldn't Xemnas have chosen someone else to be the helmsman for once? Just because he'd set Saix's (the messenger)'s hair on fire once… Now he was stuck here, in this cold, tired expanse of silver dust. He missed being warm, missed the days when he too could go down to earth and just play with the mortals like an ordinary human child. Now there was no telling when he'd get to see the sun again.

There was also the small matter that Seifer, the charioteer of the sun for the next few millennia, was- had been Hayner's boyfriend. Sadly, due to their opposing homes for the next only-Xemnas-knows-how-long, that was impossible for now. And as much as Hayner might have wanted to _not_ admit it, he missed the bugger terribly.

* * *

**AN: **This is linked to the next one. Heehee I had fun with these two.


	47. Moon

47. Moon

Seifer kinda missed the moon, now that he almost never saw it for the flames jumping around that infernal ball of fire that he was stuck in. He'd always preferred the cool night air and the silvery glow of the moon to the insane heat and light that hurt his eyes from the sun. And now he was _running_ the thing. Seriously, where was the logic in that?

Of course, he didn't miss the moon nearly as much as he missed the boy driving it at the moment. _Hayner…_ He sighed. What was Xemnas thinking when he separated them so drastically? Sure, they sometimes managed to catch a glimpse of each other on the way around the earth, but that was all. No kisses, touches or embraces were possible at such a tremendous distance.

Luckily, there was going to be an eclipse in the next few hours, though, so Seifer was getting a bit jittery at the prospect of finally being able to hold his Chickadee again, half-worried that the other boy's feelings would have changed over the past few years. But he could see the moon getting closer until it was beginning to shift between the sun and the earth. He took a breath – it was now or never; and took a flying leap.

One of the advantages of being a demigod was, of course, that you could do things mortals couldn't, such as jump between the sun and the moon and use a ray of light as a slide.

As soon as he tumbled onto the surface of the moon, there was a smaller body jumping at him and pinning him to the ground, brown eyes meeting his and, finally, kisses, raw and hungry.

"I missed you." Seifer whispered fiercely between kisses, Hayner replying,

"Me too. I love you."

That… was a rather long eclipse. Of course, they were punished for it afterwards, but as they both left on their respective galleons, they both knew it had been worth it.

* * *

**AN: **End of demigod arc.


	48. Waves

48. Waves

Olette had noticed that whenever Hayner waved someone goodbye, it was different for each person. For Roxas, it was a mocking salute, which made sense – Hayner _did_ often refer to the other blonde as 'Captain Grouchy'. For Pence, it was simply one wave outwards with a vague grin, and for Olette herself it was a fast little wave with a mischievous smirk that always made her chuckle. She could work out each one's reasons – Roxas was 'Captain Grouchy' after all, and so the salute had simply grown into a habit; Pence was very laid back so there was no need for overexcitement, and she was a girl and generally quite perky and peppy.

However, when she saw Hayner waving goodbye to Seifer once, when he'd usually just glare after him, she couldn't quite work out the small wiggle of his fingers before his hand curled back into a relaxed fist and fell back to his side as he smiled softly after his rival.


	49. Hair

49. Hair

It had always amused Hayner when Seifer removed his beanie; he couldn't really understand why the older male would want to hide his soft, pale hair in the first place. That was why, whenever they made out, Hayner would tug it off to tangle his fingers in his boyfriend's silky hair, running his fingers through it as their tongues fought.

* * *

**AN: **We're nearly at the end...


	50. Supernova

50. Supernova

So many people loved like fire; Slow to start, flaring for a moment and lasting only as long as they both worked to keep it going, dying if it was left alone for even a short time. Equally, many people loved like the Sun; steady, constant and it would last until they died.

But Seifer and Hayner weren't like that. Their love, Seifer mused, was… More like a… A supernova. Yeah, that's it. A sudden burst of energy and brightness that lingered and lasted even longer than their lifetimes. They'd started off with a fuck in the Sandlot and ended up here, in Traverse Town, sharing a flat and as in love as two people could be, twenty years later.

He supposed he should get up and actually get dressed or something. He had to finish the night's arrangements. It was their anniversary after all.

* * *

**AN: **Last one D:

I hope you've enjoyed my (very late) 50 themes.

Tell me if you think I should do another for either this pairing or another one.

*Is tempted by Batman/Joker, Joker/Harley, Joker/Scarecrow, Joker/Schiff or Xiglux...)

To all of my lovely readers (and especially reviewers), thank you for reading these pieces of wordvomit; several, as I said, will be continued as stories at some point (have a guess at which ones. I'm pretty obvious :) )


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